Sail Like A Mother Race To Alaska

3 women. 750 miles. A wilderness awaits. 

Will you support our Race to Alaska in June 2024? 

On June 9, 2024, three adventurous mamas on team “Sail Like A Mother” (SLAM) will sail 750 miles from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska in the Race to Alaska. 

We expect it will take us two weeks, but we’re preparing for three. This race is as much about survival as sailing. It's about pushing all the limits.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP to #SailLikeAMOTHER:

We're going to do this race as cheaply as we can—which includes using a bucket as a toilet while sailing (sorry if that’s TMI!). But it’s still expensive to take a month off work and outfit three women for this type of race. 

COSTS:

• The boat! $15,000  We bought an old Santa Cruz 27 named Wild Card for $10,000 that raced in the 2018 R2AK. It is light and fast and (almost) bigger than a shoebox. It's also (slightly) drier. We also have to pay for boat insurance, the race entry fee, and monthly dock/trailer storage space for a year. 
• The gear + food! $4,000  It's cold and wet the whole way. Like, grow-mold-on-your-toenails wet. We need to buy drysuits, waterproof boots and gloves, and a LOT of propane to boil endless cups of coffee and soup. Also, we need the coffee and soup.
• The return! $5,000  The race is one way. Which means we have to figure out how to get the boat -- and ourselves -- back home. This involves ferries, trailers, planes, and possibly some hocus-pocus.

WHAT YOU GET:

Besides warm fuzzies and a REALLY big hug from 3 grateful mamas, all donors will receive:

• Regular email updates about our progress and preparations.
• GPS tracks so you can follow along during the journey
• $50+ = A super-cool "Sail Like A MOTHER" sticker!
• $100+ = Your name on our website!
• $1,000 = Your name (or logo) on our boat!

WE APPRECIATE YOU!

And we really need you, too. When we're seasick or cold, hungry or lonely out there in the North Pacific, the support of our amazing family, friends and community will warm and cheer us. ❤️ ⛵️ 🙏

MORE ABOUT TEAM SLAM:

As mothers, we want to prove to our children that we can do hard things and achieve lofty goals when we fully commit our mind, body and spirit. As adventurers, we feel pulled to test our mettle in the untrammeled wilderness of the North Pacific. Plus, we want to #SailLikeAMOTHER to show how powerful a team of women can be.

Katie Gaut is a cartographer and digital storyteller who harbors a profound passion for the sea and for empowering women in sailing. With over 20 years of experience on the ocean, including a 50-ton master Coast Guard license and ASA sailing instructor credentials, she's captained boats in Hawaii, Alaska and the San Juans. Training for R2AK? No time for that after she’s done milking goats, chasing her son around the homestead, and spending time on the water.

Brianna Randall is a writer, yoga teacher and all-around nature addict. She's sailed 6,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean, cruised throughout the Caribbean, and made wakes in Montana lakes, the Gulf of California, the San Juan Islands and Alaska's Inside Passage. She's been dunking in Montana’s ice-cold creeks daily to build endurance for the R2AK.

Melissa Roberts is an aquatic ecologist turned ER nurse who knows next to nothing about sailing and lots about Type 2 fun. She spent many summers cruising the Inside Passage as a cook on an eco-tourism boat, and can't wait to return to those magical waters. In preparation for the R2AK, she's started a daily squat routine and is drying bushels of apples.  

All three mamas are also scientists dedicated to making our planet a better place. While sailing north, SLAM will collect data on underwater noise pollution for the non-profit research group, Oceans Initiative. Noise from ships or other human activities threatens ocean animals that rely on sound cues to "see" in the sea. By recording and mapping underwater sounds, we can help pinpoint and protect the ocean's quiet places, and (hopefully) hush loud places.